Belt-tightener.



No. 658,0sl.'

(No Model.)

C. GULAHAN.

BELT TIGHTENER.

(Application led July 24, 1900.)

'EC/ig/ l.

F W Il l li kI ..lfi

.b lyl o n o u 0 0 B .l A JQ Patented Sept. I8, |900.

NITED STATES Fries..

Parenti l- BELT-TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658.081, dated September 18, 1.900

Application filed July 24, 1900.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known'that I, CHARLES COLAHAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt-Tighteners for Harvesters, of which the following..r is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to improvements in belt-tighteners for harvesters having endless aprons or belts of canvas or other material adapted to run over rollers at each end of the platform or elevator of a harvester. These aprons are affected by atmospheric conditions or damp grain, in which moisture Will soften the fiber or material of Which the apron is made, and as a consequence it will permit the elongations or stretching of the apron so much that it will become loose on the rollers, which will run in loose contact with the apron, and the roller or apron must be tightened immediately to impart movement to the apron or the harvester will be clogged up with the incoming grain. Thus it will be seen that when the harvester is in operation it is important that convenient and effective means should be within reach of theloperator to secure the uninterrupted carrying forward of the grain by the aprons, and in order to properly accom plish this purpose the carrier-roller should be equally and simultaneously adjusted at each journal-bearing at the ends of the roller. I accomplish this adjustment by means of a hand-lever that is pivoted on a fixed supporting-bracket secu-red to the harvester-platform frame between the aprons. This adjusting-leveris provided with a friction-roller that has a bearing on lugs attached on each side of an aperture in the adjustable supporting-bar in which the apron-roller is journaled, and as this lever is moved by the operator in either direction it will impart a cor,- responding movement to the adjustable supporting-ba)1 and its apron-roller, it having a connecting cross-rod secured to a coperating bent lever that actuates the front lever, mov-4 ing the supporting-bar, in which the apronroller is journaled at the front of the machine, substantially as shown in my Patent No. 285,464, dated September 25, 1883, of which my present invention is an improve- Serial No. 24,641. (No model.)

by the lever heilig placed in holding-notches at any point of adjustment, a spring retaining it in the notches, or the lever may be released from its holding means, and thus leave the roller and its mechanism free from any pressure on the apron, and when the machine is notin operation or at times When the apronstraps and their buckles are being secured the lever is very convenient to draw the rollers together and enable the straps and buckles to be easily fastened or unfastened, and when fastened the roller may be pressed outwardly to tighten the apron and held as desired.

In the drawings the general features of my "invention are shown in Figure l, which is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. l, showing the adjusting-lever pivoted to its supporting-bracket, which adjusting-lever socket, also the horizontal f holding-apertures through which the arms of the lever-supporting bracket extend to be secured tothe frame. These apertures admit the desired movement of the supporting-bar and the adjustable roller that is journaled therein. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 5,

Vshowing the lever-socket with lever and its frictional roller extending therein, as indicated on line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

As shown in the drawings, A A represent the harvester-frame; B B, the adjustable roller-supporting arms, provided with elongated openings b b' and maintained in place by the lever-supporting brackets b b, that pass through theopenings and are secured to the harvester-frame by fastening-nuts. These IOO ledges or guides, and E the bottom of the platform secured to the harvester-frame by rivets.

G is the adjusting-lever, provided with the friction-roll 7a2/that operates Within the socket K to move the roller-supporting arm B. This lever is pivoted to its supporting-bracket at s and provided with an angular extension g beyond its pivot, to which is attached a crossrod H, that is secured at rto a corresponding angular lever g', that is pivoted to the front bracket at s' and provided with an extension and friction-roll K2, that operates Within the socket K of arm B', as shown in Fig. 6. J is a plate having lever-holding notches secured to the frame outside, and J its retaining-spring, that is mounted on a pivoted rod which bears against the lower side of the lever to retain it in any desired position When placed in its holding-notches.

Having thus described and shown by the drawings my invention, Which is inexpensive and simple in its construction and operation, possessing all the elements desired for its purpose, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The hand-lever G, pivoted on its supporting-bracket at s, and operatingwithin the socket K to move the adjustable roller-supporting arm B, said lever being provided with an angular extension g beyond its pivot, the cross-rod H pivoted at 0' to the elbow-lever g' imparting a corresponding movement to the adjustable roller-supporting arm B', all said parts combined substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the carrier-roller F, the adjustingarms B B', having the leversocket K and the elongated apertures b b' with the securing and lever-supportingbrackets b b, and the elbow-lever g', connecting cross-rod H, bent le'ver g, its pivot S and the actuating-lever G for adjusting and maintaining the apron-roller in any desired position, substantially as shown and described.

3. The adj usting-lever G, pivoted at s, combined With the rear adj listing-arm B, the connecting cross-rod H and elbow-lever g', imparting a simultaneous movement to the arm `B' substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES COLAHAN. 

